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Aaron Saucedo
Thrill Killer Unclassified killer |signature = Making his victims watch him before shooting them |mo = Shooting |type = Mixed thrill - power |victims = 1-9 killed 4 attempted |time = August 16, 2015 - July 11, 2016 (?)|birth date = 1994|charges = Nine counts of first-degree murder Six counts of committing a drive-by shooting Two counts of attempted first-degree murder Two counts of aggravated assault One count of endangerment One count of discharging a firearm at a structure|capture = April 22, 2017|status = Awaiting trial}} Aaron Juan Saucedo is an American man suspected of being the "Maryvale Serial Shooter", also known as the "Serial Street Shooter", a serial/spree killer active in Phoenix, Arizona, from 2015 to 2016. The shooter was linked to 12 shootings, 9 of which were fatal. Though Saucedo is currently awaiting trial, he is widely considered the main suspect of the murders due to large amounts of evidence. Phoenix Serial Shootings From August 2015 to July 2016, for almost a year, the city of Phoenix, Arizona, was affected by a series of seemingly random shootings, which mostly occurred in Maryvale, an urban village. The shooter approached his victims, either by foot or by car, and shot them at close range. By the time of the last known shooting, 9 people were dead, and at least two other had been injured by gunfire. Investigation At first, the authorities investigated the incidents individually, though they later linked all the cases together and formed a task force in order to catch the so-called "Serial Street Shooter". Witness reports described the killer as being a lanky, dark-haired, Latino man in his twenties, as well as driving both a black BMW and a white Cadillac or Lincoln. Though deemed unlikely, police could not exclude the possibility of multiple individuals being behind the murders, as more than one offender were seen walking away from at least two crime scenes. A composite sketch of the shooter was also released. Arrest of Aaron Saucedo Eventually, on April 22, 2017, 23-year-old Latino Aaron Saucedo was arrested on charges of murdering the first fatal victim of the series: 61-year-old Raul Romero, who was also a friend of his mother. A 9mm Hi-Point pistol owned by Saucedo was confirmed, by ballistics experts, to be the same weapon that killed Romero. Also, Saucedo bore a resemblance to the composite sketch of the serial shooter, and drove a black BMW 5 Series sedan, exactly the same type of car reported to have been driven by the killer. Saucedo was later charged with all the other murders attributed to the "Maryvale Serial Shooter", to which he pleaded not guilty. He is currently awaiting trial. Other Suspects *Frank Taylor (1989 - 2017) **Similar to the shooter's composite sketch **Was killed by a woman he was attempting to rob a few weeks after the last known shooting **Identified by several people after his death, and briefly considered as a suspect in March 2017 Modus Operandi The shooter (suspected of being Saucedo) approached his victims and shot them at close range with a semiautomatic pistol. In some occasions, he committed drive-by shootings. In at least two instances, he yelled at his victims to make them watch as he was going to shot them, which seems to be part of his signature. Profile Former FBI profiler Brad Garrett profiled the shooter as being a thrill killer seeking "intimacy" in his close-range attacks. He also claimed the attacker wanted to inflict as much fear as possible in his victims, by making them watch as he shot them. While it was deemed unlikely by him that he had accomplices, Garrett said, it would be an explanation for his apparent access to multiple vehicles (based on witnesses recollection). Finally, as a means to keep up the thrill by taking more risks, the shooter was probably inserting himself in the investigation, atteding police-community meetings. Known Victims *2016: **January 1, West Monte Vista Road and North 58th Drive, Maryvale: Jesse Olivas, 22 **March 17, East Moreland Street and North 11th Street: an unnamed 16-year-old boy **March 18, West Heatherbrae Drive and North 73rd Avenue, Maryvale: an unnamed 21-year-old man **April 1, West Turney Avenue and North 55th Avenue, Maryvale: Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, 21 **April 19, North 32nd Street: Krystal Annette White, 55 **June 3, West Flower Street and North 67th Avenue, Maryvale: Horacio De Jesus Pena, 32 **June 10, West Coronado Road, Maryvale: Manuel Castro Garcia, 19 **June 12: ***2:35 AM: West Mariposa Drive and North 62nd Avenue, Maryvale: a victimless shooting ***3:00 AM: West Berkeley Road, Maryvale : ****Stefanie Ellis, 33 ****Maleah Ellis, 12 ****Angela Linner, 31 **July 11, North 32nd and East Oak Street : ***An unnamed 21-year-old man ***An unnamed 4-year-old boy}} On Criminal Minds *Season Thirteen: **"Neon Terror" - Although yet to be directly referenced in the show, the Maryvale Serial Shooter (suspected of being Saucedo) may have provided some inspiration for the episode's unsub: Jeffrey Whitfield - Both were serial/spree killers in their twenties (the Maryvale Serial Shooter's approximate age was obtained from witness descriptions and behavioral profiling) who killed both males and females by shooting them at close range. Also, both were interested in the media portrayal of their crimes (this was only suspected in the case of the Maryvale Serial Shooter). Sources *Wikipedia's article on the Maryvale Serial Shooter *Phoenix serial street shootings: Aaron Saucedo facing charges in shootings *Profiler: Phoenix serial shooter looking for thrill in attacks Category:Real People Category:Real World Criminals Category:Real Life Killers Category:Real Suspected Serial Killers Category:Unreferenced Criminals